BLOG CATCH-UP PART 2. FEB 16-27,2018

ZIHUA TO PUERTO VALLARTA 2018

FEB 16,2018.  0800:  Al and I departed Isla Grande after a beautiful overnight at anchor.

1800:  Passing Caleta de Campos motor sailing at 6 kts we decided to continue on to Bahia Santiago.

Sunday Feb 17, anchored at 1015 in Santiago Bay.

Monday Feb 18th headed back around the corner for Las Hadas  expecting Ferol to arrive and its easier  to get to the boat from there than Santiago beach. 

Feb 20th we rented a car and took a trip to Pasquales to see the famed big surf spot from land.  Not much surf and the town was deserted.  Apparently Mexicans all go there over Easter vacation and surfers who knows?  Glad we went.  A very different beach town.










Feb 21st Weds :0820 anchor up headed for Barra de Navidad .  Ferol’s passport  renewal did not arrive so she has been delayed.  She can join us in Barra as the airport is half way between both towns.  We love Barra and that will put us closer to PV in case the weather turns.

12:30 in our slip at Barra Marina.   Ferol arrived with time to hike , hang out at the pool and enjoy a great dinner in town.

Sunday Feb25 departed Barra then decided to swing by the fuel dock to fill the port tank in case of bad weather.  Underway at 1300 with reefed main and 25 Kts on the nose.  Anchored  in Tenacatita at 1630.  Talk of a weather system coming.

Monday Feb.26:  0700 heading for Chamela 6 to 8 ft seas lumpy but light wind.

1140;  anchor down and time to go enjoy the beach, meet friends old and new play a little bocci ball and have a great lunch at a beach palapa.  Main topic of conversation is the weather.  There was a consensus that there was a weather window if we left at 2200 we could get around Cabo Corrientes before the weather system would have us stuck in Chemla for a week so we lifted anchor at 2200.  

1300 feb 27th. We had gone 20nm in  3hrs rough going in big swells to start with and winds from 20 to 0 kts.  Motoring at 1600 rpms which is higher than normal.  We stayed in the company of Caramana, Windswept, and Hanu.    A string of  white lights caravaning up the coast.

At 1205 we were tied up in our slip at Paradise Village with lots of time left on Ferol’s vacation to enjoy Bandares Bay and Puerto Vallarta.  So much fun being with my college buddy again.

BLOG CATCH-UP

The last post had us arriving in Zihuatanejo on Jan.23rd 2018.  We stayed 24 days and were joined by Carol and Dave Cort for Zihua Sailfest 2018.  We had a terrific time and took out lots of people on Chez Nous on sunset and Jazz raft-up cruises for donations to benefit Por Los Ninos.  

I’m adding a link to this years Sail Fest site which has an artical that Terry wrote last year and was published in the fall issiue of  Cruisers Outpost 2018.  Too bad the sailfest reference its missing all the great pictures that she included in the article.   Page 146 in the magazine.  Be low are some of mine.

https://porlosninos.com/2018/12sailfest-the-most-rewarding-thing/

MANZANILLA to ZIHUATANEJO Jan.22-23 2018

0745 Jan22,2018;       Underway from Las Hadas to Zihua with a 10kt off shore breeze as we lifted anchor.  

1045 :    Motoring with a little wind from astern.  By 1100 we had the staysail, main and mizzen sails up and were able to keep them filled most of the day with engine on and a 3-4 ft swell from the NW pushing us to the south east.  

Bird sitting on a turtle

A hot lazy day, making our own wind.

Sundown and temp dropping fast.   What a cold night.  Have to add layers for the night watches.   Al and I take 2 hr. watches but we stay on deck.  One sleeps on the beanbag while the other mostly watches for changes and other boats.

 

A beautiful clear night , stars reflecting on the calm water and a bright sliver of the moon.  Wind shifting betweeen 7kts on the nose to 

5 true on the beam to 13kts apparent, with the swell now 2-3ft still from the NW.

Tuesday Jan 23,2018

0000  off of Caleta de Campos light breeze offshore.

0400  nearing Lazaro Cardenas and the shipping lanes. Lots of shore and ship lights.

Morning comes with a hot blazing sun

0800  16 miles to Roca Negro off shore wind 11kts from ENE.still long 2-3 ft swells.

Coming into Zihua

Lots of boats already here for Sailfest.  Just enough space between Fantasia (Kay and Walt) and Northwest Passage (Donna and Tim) for us to fit.

1045 anchored in 20ft of water and about 60 ft of chain....lots of boats have to fit in close.  Love our mighty new anchor “ Rocna”.

I think the Panga fishing fleet has grown this year.

189 nm in 26hrs. Average speed 7kts.  Max speed I saw in the middle of the night was 8.8 kts.  Must have been a little surfing speed.